Baptism

Immersion baptism is an excellent picture of what has happened to a person who has come to faith; the old life has been buried and the new has come in its place.

But baptism is not only a picture. It is also a participation in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We gain understanding of this participation when we recall the Lord’s Supper, of which it is written: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ?”

Going through baptism is a step of faith and it expresses obedience to the teaching of Scripture: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Water baptism does not, however, mean the forgiveness of sins, but being saved “from the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

In the Acts of the Apostles it is shown how baptism takes place in the name of Jesus Christ. This means that the one being baptized confesses themselves a partaker of all that the name of Jesus represents and of all that a believer possesses in Jesus.

It is also worth noting how disciples who had been baptized with John’s (the Baptist’s) baptism were baptized again in Ephesus “into the name of the Lord Jesus.” These disciples had earlier been baptized into what John the Baptist represented, but now they were baptized into what Jesus represents. So it was not at all problematic that they were baptized again. On the contrary.

Surely every believer who has gone through immersion baptism has experienced great joy on rising from the baptismal water. “Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,” take this step in order to experience the heavenly joy that springs from obedience.

Acts 2, 19 Rom 6 1 Cor 10 2 Cor 5 Heb 12 2 Pet 1–